


Love Signs

by GooeyHeat



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Adaptation, F/F, Gen, Retelling, Touhou PC-98 Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:27:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22323304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GooeyHeat/pseuds/GooeyHeat
Summary: A young witch plans to help take over Gensokyo with her ghostly master. Falling in love was not part of the plan.A retelling of Story of Eastern Wonderland with a focus on Marisa and developing ReiMari.
Relationships: Hakurei Reimu/Kirisame Marisa
Comments: 9
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

Reimaden.

A land of swirling darkness, illuminated by a single demonic star.

If one were to ask where it was, the answers would be conflicting. Some would say it doesn't exist at all. Those more in tune with the supernatural worlds would probably be able to agree that it's beyond the World of Fantasies, but the debate as to whether it's part of Makai or its own space nearby would likely never end.

If one were to ask _what_ it was, they would get even more diverse responses. Some would say it was hell; but then, just about any home to demons and evil spirits can be considered hell if one were to stay there too long. Others would call it a playground for all manner of occult creatures, or simply a liminal space between larger, more terrifying realms.

But, as of now, a young, red-haired witch, clad all in purple, with robes a bit too big for her and a tall pointy hat, would call it something much simpler.

Yes, if one were to ask Marisa Kirisame what Reimaden is, she would simply call it "home."

Not that she'd always lived there, of course. She was raised in Gensokyo, a strange, small, isolated land in the mountains of Japan. But many young girls leave the house someday, especially if the head of said house was at odds with said young girl's desire to learn dangerous magic. So after "borrowing" a powerful magic tool, a hand-held furnace, from the eccentric but kindly man at the junk shop, Marisa flew off beyond the human world to live with her teacher and learn to be the most powerful magician Gensokyo would ever see.

As it were, increasing magical power took skill, knowledge, and above all, practice. And at this moment, Marisa was engaged in such practice, firing off spells in front of a small house situated on a floating island in the black void that was Reimaden.

"Alright, Marisa, from the top. You can do this!" she said to herself. She hopped on her broom (what would a witch be without one, really?) and floated into the air. "Mystic Orbs!" she shouted, reaching an open hand forward forcefully. Four large glowing spheres, one red, one blue, one green, and one purple, appeared from her hand. They surrounded her in a square shape, connected by straight lines of magic, and began circling around her. "Fire!" she yelled, and the orbs shot out a volley of concentrated magic shots, which impacted on the ground below, leaving it singed. "Extend formation!" was her next command, and with it the orbs flew away from her, covering a wider area. "Release!" caused the orbs to dissipate.

Marisa smiled. "Aw yeah, I've definitely got that one down. Mima will be so proud. Now, for the stuff I came up with myself." She took a breath and shook her arms out. "Stardust Rain!" she yelled, pointing towards the ground. Immediately, a volley of shining stars dropped from above her, crashing into the ground with force. "Yeah, yeah! That's SO cool! It's like a meteor shower!" She pumped her fist in triumph. "Okay, Marisa. Time for the big one. You put a lot of effort into making this work, and this time it'll happen for sure!" She reached into her robe and pulled out her tiny furnace, and held it in front of her. With a determined look on her face, she took a deep breath and focused her energy. "Magic... Spark!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

For a split second, nothing happened. Then, the furnace began to glow with an otherworldly power. It rumbled in Marisa's hand a bit as it heated up. And then...!

_KERR-ACK!!!_

An explosion suddenly occurred directly in front of the furnace. The force of it blasted Marisa backwards and downwards, sending her spiraling towards the ground. She fell off her broom just before hitting the ground and bounced softly. She wasn't hurt, but there was frustration on her face as she got up and dusted off her robes with her hands.

"Still no laser! All the catalysts are right, I know it! There's still something about the magic I'm feeding this thing that isn't right! Ugh, I can't stand it!" She stomped her feet in anger, continuing to mumble nothing in particular.

Suddenly, Marisa's minor tantrum was interrupted by an encroaching feeling of darkness. To most humans, such a feeling would be something to fear, but it hold a very different meaning to Marisa Kirisame.

"Mima, Mima! You're back, you're back!" she yelled, her frustrations forgotten as she jumped for joy.

From the dark sky descended a woman with long green hair, clad in a dress of blue and white, as well as a tall, cone-shaped hat. Any idea that this woman could be human, however, would be immediately dispelled with a single look at her legs, as in place of them she had a pair of ghostly white tails.

Mima floated down to the ground and picked up Marisa, pulling her into a big hug. "And how is my favorite little menace doing?" Mima asked.

"I'm doing great! Gosh, I'm so glad you're back!" Marisa said. "So? How'd the invasion go? Is the human world Hell's playground? Is Gensokyo ours to rule?"

Mima's warm smile faded as she placed Marisa gently on the ground. "Sadly, no."

Marisa pouted. "What? Don't tell me that Konngara ripped you off? Why that little-"

"No, no, Konngara is an Astral Knight of her word. She'd definitely have given us Gensokyo if the invasion succeeded," Mima interrupted.

"If the- Ugh, I'd heard Makai was planning an invasion too; did they take over and push Hell out? I'll go beat down Sariel herself if that's the case!"

Mima sighed. "Makai did invade, but they did not take over either. No, we were in fact stopped by humanity. Both invasions were," she said patiently.

Marisa's eyes widened. "Whaaaat? The forces of Hell _and_ Makai lost to a bunch of humans?"

"Not a bunch of humans, Marisa... Just one."

Marisa's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

Mima shrugged. "I'm afraid not. Have you heard of the Hakurei Shrine?"

Marisa tilted her head. "That busted-up old shrine in Gensokyo?"

"The very same. It turns out that the shrine maiden there, despite being a lazy young girl, not much older than you at most, is extremely powerful. She ran through the most powerful demons both Hell and Makai could throw at her, and I hear she even defeated Konngara and Sariel."

"WHAAAAAAAT?" Marisa yelled.

"It sounds crazy, doesn't it? But the Astral Knights have since set off on a lengthy training regimen, and the demons of Makai are all calling for Sariel's resignation. Things are getting so crazy there that there are rumors the goddess that originally created Makai is going to return to rule once again."

Marisa was dazzled. "And all that because of just one girl? How are we ever going to take over Gensokyo if she's there?"

Mima smiled. "Oh, I've come up with a plan for exactly that. In fact, I've started putting it into motion already. You see, my dear child, the Hakurei's power is not her own. She has a secret."

Marisa gasped. "A secret?"

"Indeed. Her powers come from a Hakurei clan artifact known as the Yin-Yang Orb. And so, if we can draw her out to Reimaden, and then target that orb..."

Marisa grinned mischievously. "We can take that power for ourselves!"

Mima smiled a sly smile. "Precisely."

Marisa practically jumped in the air with excitement. "When do we start?"

Mima started floating towards the small house on the island. "I have managed to gather some allies for this plan. We will meet them tomorrow, and then begin our attack."

"Oh boy, oh boy! This is gonna be so much fun!"

"I agree. Now, let's get you some dinner and make sure you go to bed. I picked up some of your favorite mushrooms on the way back; do you want to help me cook with them?"

Marisa smiled a huge smile. "Yeah!"

After dinner and a bath, Marisa climbed into bed. It took her a while to fall asleep, though; her imagination couldn't help but run wild. She imagined the powerful demons that Mima had managed to recruit, thinking of cool monsters that could breathe fire or destroy people's minds. She imagined flying through the skies of Gensokyo, showing off all the strongest spells she'd mastered with Mima. And, of course, she imagined this mysterious Hakurei shrine maiden, a worthy adversary that Marisa would triumph over.

With these exciting thoughts in her head, Marisa eventually managed to drift off to sleep.

If a word came to Marisa's mind upon seeing her new allies the next morning, it would be "disappointed." No fire-breathing, mind-destroying monsters seemed to stand in front of her; only a tall, purple-haired woman dressed in red and white, wielding a katana, and a girl with brown hair tied into a pair of braids, dressed in a white collared shirt and brown pants holding a wrench.

Marisa glanced at Mima. "These... are our allies?"

Mima sighed. "As it turns out, it was difficult to find youkai or demons willing to face down the Hakurei maiden so soon after she laid waste to the invasions, even if I assured them that I knew her weakness."

Marisa walked up to the taller woman and looked up at her. "Well, you don't seem human, at any rate... I can feel the darkness radiating off of you."

The woman bowed her head slightly. "I am Meira, an Astral Knight. I shall strike down the Hakurei with my blade."

Marisa crossed her arms. "I thought you guys were off training after that girl beat up your leader?"

"Most of us are," Meira answered, "but if Mima is correct about the Yin-Yang Orbs, then my current strength should be more than enough to defeat the Hakurei. If her only power rides on a simple trick, then seeing through it will render her hopeless."

Marisa nodded. "I guess that makes sense." Suddenly, she turned to the brown-haired girl and pointed her finger. "But you! I don't sense a lick of magic in you at all! You're just a regular human, aren't you!?"

The girl's expression immediately soured. "Regular? REGULAR? How DARE you! I am no REGULAR human, you stupid witch! I'm Rika, the ultimate engineer! I'm an absolute genius! I build indestructible tanks! Impossibly powerful weapons! And more...!" With that, she pulled out a small device from her pocket and pressed the button. Immediately, a crowd of phantoms appeared behind her, swirling and swarming with a dark presence. "Any idiot can pull off some magic, but it takes a truly special individual to build youkai with her bare hands! And you DARE to insinuate that I'm a REGULAR human?"

Marisa leaned towards Rika, eyes narrowed. "Who are you calling stupid? You're the stupid one if you think I'm scared of a bunch of fake phantoms! I'm sure even my weakest spell could overpower every single rickety hunk of junk you've ever built!"

"I'm calling YOU stupid because you ARE stupid! My machines can crush you! And you'll know that when they demolish the Hakurei shrine and crush that stupid shrine maiden before you can even cast a single worthless spell!"

"You wouldn't know 'worthless' if it bit you in the-"

"ENOUGH!!" Mima suddenly bellowed, thunder cracking behind her to accentuate her point. Marisa and Rika both jumped and turned towards her. Mima put a hand to her forehead. "You're managing to give an incorporeal being a headache with your bickering. Now listen to me, or I'll tear your souls from your bodies and feed them to the youkai behind the house."

"Yes, Mima," Marisa muttered.

"Fine..." Rika grumbled.

"Now," Mima continued. "The plan is simple. We will attack the shrine, and then draw Reimu down a path to this place."

"Reimu?" Marisa asked.

"The shrine maiden, dummy," Rika sneered. Marisa growled slightly and ground her teeth in response.

Ignoring the interruption, Mima continued. "Rika and her creations will lead the attack on the shrine. Meira will lie in wait on the path leading to the World of Fantasies. The ancient relics within that world will provide an extra opportunity to defeat her, and Marisa and I will wait within Reimaden to overpower her after all that."

Rika put her hands behind her head. "You might as well not even bother. I'll crush her and take the Yin-Yang Orb for myself."

Mima smiled. "If you do, indeed, defeat her, then the Orb is yours, as we promised."

"Wait, what?" Marisa said, shocked. "I thought it was supposed to be ours!"

"It's no fun if we don't give everyone a fair shot, now, is it, Marisa?" Mima said, winking at her.

"Uh- oh, right!" Marisa smiled. "Yep, do your best, Rika! I'm sure you can handle her all by yourself!"

"You can leave your sarcasm at the door with your dumb hat, witch. I'm sure both you and your duplicitous master are counting on me losing, but I'm always one to leave expectations in the dust. The Yin-Yang Orb is as good as mine! Kya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Rika laughed maniacally.

"Whatever you say, grease monkey," Marisa said when the laughter subsided.

"Are we all clear on the plan, then?" Mima asked.

"Yes," Meira said.

"Yep!" Marisa said.  
"Of course!" Rika said.

"Good. Now go. Gensokyo shall soon be bathed in darkness!" Mima declared.

Rika pulled out another device, pressed the button, and stepped through a small portal that appeared. Meira leaped into the air and flew off into the darkness.

Marisa looked at Mima. "Hey, can I go and watch the fights? It would be so boring to just wait around here the whole time," she asked. "I'm a pretty quick flier, so I can be back in time to fight her when she makes it here!"

"Hmm..." Mima thought for a moment. "Put away the clothes you left on the floor in your room, and then you can go."

"Aw, okay..." Marisa mumbled, flying back into the house. A few minutes later she was out, rocketing out of Reimaden towards Gensokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I'm hunkering down and writing some got damb ReiMari. And what better way than to start at the beginning?
> 
> Also, I'm gonna be honest, half the fun of this is gonna be writing Rika. She's just a lot of fun, at least the way I envision her (these are some pretty vague characters, after all).


	2. Chapter 2

The Hakurei Shrine.

It stood on the edge of Gensokyo, under a slightly overcast sky. Apart from a recent bout of vandalism from demons of Makai and youkai of Hell, it was a peaceful place, where very little ever happened...

_CRASH! KERR-BLAM!_

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Genji, come help me out with this one!"

"As you wish, Miss Reimu."

A shrine maiden dressed in red and white shot out from the door of the main shrine building, riding what would seem to observers to be a large, flying turtle. The shrine maiden was Reimu Hakurei, brandishing a gohei and a ball in the design of the traditional yin-yang symbol. As for what seemed to be a large, flying turtle, it was, in fact, a large, flying turtle; he was Genji, Reimu's trusted mentor and companion.

Maiden and turtle flew out of the building and were greeted by a swarm of strange phantoms attacking the shrine grounds, blasting magic everywhere and generally making a big mess of things. A strange, large object loomed in the distance on the shrine's path.

"Another attack? But I just smacked down the strongest idiots in both Makai and Hell! What kind of moron would even go to the trouble at this point?" Reimu yelled indignantly.

"Perhaps they were hoping your recent battles would have left you weakened, my lady," Genji replied.

"Yeah, well let's see how weak I look when I do this!" With that, Reimu threw a spread of paper ofuda that struck a ton of the phantoms dead on, causing them to dissipate instantly.

"See? Nothing to it," Reimu said, smiling. "Now let's push ahead, Gramps. Maybe we'll learn who's doing this."

"G-Gramps? Er, I mean, of course, Miss Reimu," Genji said with a sigh.

As Reimu fought onward through the mass of monsters, a purple-clad witch slipped past her notice and landed quietly in some of the bushes near the shrine. Safely away from the carnage, Marisa poked her head up and got her first look at the Hakurei shrine maiden.

"So that's her..." Marisa muttered. She watched Reimu throw her ofuda with precision and summon her Yin-Yang Orb to rain blasts of concentrated spiritual power across her enemies. The phantoms couldn't even touch her as she and her turtle soared through the sky, as if no heavier than a sakura petal on the wind.

"Gotta admit, she's pretty cool in action," Marisa said to herself. "I can see how she put up a fight against Hell and Makai. Still no match for me, though!" she added, chuckling. "Ooh, wait! She's about to fight one of Rika's tanks!"

The large object Reimu had seen in the distance on the path was, in fact, a massive tank. Its treads left marks on the shrine's road, and its cannon fired a barrage of magical artillery in Reimu and Genji's direction. Despite likely having never seen anything like it, however, Reimu was completely unfazed; she dodged every shot nearly effortlessly, and a quick barrage of her own power caused it to completely explode.

"Pfft, is that it? Rika's such a loser!" Marisa laughed. "I changed my mind! I doubt Reimu's strong at all; Rika's creations are just garbage!" She looked further down the path, where more phantoms swarmed and Rika herself stood next to a larger tank, this one adorned with a massive flower. "I better get over there so I can watch the slaughter, hee hee!" With that, Marisa quickly took off again and found a new hiding spot, still without being spotted.

Reimu and Genji continued to fly down the shrine's main road, swatting phantoms left and right. "Ugh, there's no end to these things!" Reimu complained.

"Miss Reimu, look! There's someone suspicious standing there." Genji said, noticing Rika standing in front of them.

"They're making such a mess of the shrine!" Reimu yelled, a few tears forming at her eyes.

"Reimu? Are you listening?" Genji said, with the patience of someone who has dealt with this sort of thing for a long time.

"What do you want, you senile old turtle!" Reimu snapped.

"Ah..." Genji took a breath. "There in front of us, my lady."

"Huh?" Reimu looked ahead down the path to see Rika leaned up against her tank, bouncing a wrench in her hand and grinning.

"Oh, that's just some human. If she's really involved she'll be easy to take down," Reimu said, rolling her eyes.

Rika's grin faded. She stood up straight and stomped her foot. "'Someone suspicious'? 'Some human'? How DARE you call me that!" she yelled. "My name's Rika, and I'm the genius engineer who created all these phantoms! They're my army, and I'm gonna crush you and your rinky-dink little shrine!"

"You created them? How is that NOT suspicious?" Reimu snapped back.

"That's not the point, you idiot! The point is that I'm going to blast you to kingdom come with this Flower Tank! It's an absolute masterpiece, if I do say so myself! My greatest creation! Now get ready!" With that, Rika started to climb into the hatch of the tank.

"Hey, wait a second! Who sent you to do this?" Reimu asked.

"Bring it on, you stupid shaman!" Rika yelled, ignoring the question.

"Oh boy, this one's gonna be good!" Marisa giggled to herself from the bushes.

The Flower Tank began firing, sending explosive magical blasts all over the place. Reimu and Genji, however, floated between the blasts with ease, unleashing an onslaught of spiritual attacks on the tank all the while. Even as the Flower Tank's rate of fire sped up, Reimu remained untouched, and eventually an explosion rang out from the side of the tank. Some of the petals of its flower flew off.

"After all that talk, that's it?" Reimu asked.

"As if!" Rika shouted. "Take my Rika-Rika Special Super Explosive!" The Flower Tank's main cannon pointed itself upwards into the air, and a massive missile launched into the sky, flying in a high arc.

"Miss Reimu, we must clear the area! There's no telling how large that explosion will be!" Genji said, panicked.

"Don't you dare move an inch, Gramps!" Reimu shot back.

"H-huh?"

"Trust me on this one!"

Reimu stood up on Genji's back and took her gohei in two hands. She turned her body sideways and kept her eye on the missile as she raised her gohei upwards in a batter's stance.

 _Wait for it... wait for it..._ Reimu thought.

"HYAAH!" Reimu yelled, swinging her gohei with all her might as the missile passed right in front of her.

The missile was sent spinning directly towards the Flower Tank, and in the blink of an eye, detonated into a massive explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Rika was sitting on the ground, surrounded by chunks of scrap metal.

"Yes!" Marisa said, under her breath, before covering her mouth with the sudden realization that she had been cheering for her enemy for the entire fight.

"Oh, no... my Flower Tank... it's been destroyed..." Rika said, sadly. "I guess this is the last I'll see of you, shrine maiden..." she trailed off, taking large, conspicuous steps to the side. With each step, she glanced back at Reimu.

"Ugh, and I still never figured out who sent her," Reimu grumbled.

"Should we chase her, my lady?" Genji asked.

"Hmm... nah. My intuition says she's leading us into a trap. Let's just head down that path; there's more youkai that way," Reimu said, pointing straight ahead.

At this, Rika did a double take. "Wait, WHAT? She's not even gonna follow me???"

"See?" Reimu said, looking down at Genji with a smile and a wink.

"I'll never understand how you figure these things out," Genji said, with a smile of his own. Picking up speed, Reimu and Genji blasted off down the road, leaving Rika to sputter angrily alone.

"BWAH HA HA HA HAAAAAA!"

"Huh? Who's there?" Rika snapped.

Marisa flew out from the bushes and landed on the shrine's path. "That was pathetic! Your so-called 'greatest creation', and it ended up destroyed by its own missile! Oh, I can barely stop laughing long enough to make fun of you for it!" she said, before doubling over into another fit of laughter.

Rika stomped over to Marisa. "For your information, witch girl, that wasn't my greatest creation at all! It was DELIBERATELY weak, because what I was GOING to do was trick Reimu into following me, and then attack her with my ACTUAL greatest creation!"

Marisa stopped laughing and looked at Rika. "You little sneak! You know the plan was to lead her to Meira if you lost!"

Rika rolled her eyes. "Oh please, like I was gonna go along with your dumb ghost mom's plan. I've got no reason to listen to you; I'm just after the power of the Yin-Yang Orb!" She pulled a chunk of metal from her hair and dropped it on the ground. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the World of Fantasies. I've seen the guardian artifacts there, and I think they could use some enhancements." She took a remote control out of her pocket and pressed a button, creating a portal. "That girl is probably a ways down that road now. If you wanna keep following her like a lost puppy, you'd better get a move on."

Marisa took a step back. "L-like a what?"

"Don't play dumb; I saw you watching her the whole time, you weirdo. Go stalk her and leave me alone." With that, Rika stepped through her portal, which vanished.

Marisa was at a loss for words for a few seconds, her face red with a kind of embarrassment she hadn't experienced before. She shook her head, hopped back onto her broom, and raced off down the path Reimu had just vanished down.

"Ugh... I think it's gonna rain soon. That's a pain," Reimu said continued down the dirt path through the forest as the sky darkened.

"Oh, the weather is about to be the least of your worries!" a girl's voice shouted out.

"Huh? Show yourself!" Reimu yelled.

Out of the depths of the trees flew Marisa, grinning as she floated in front of Reimu. "My name's Marisa Kirisame, and I'm one Yin-Yang Orb away from being the strongest magician in all of Gensokyo!"

"Oh, really?" Reimu said angrily. "So you're here to fight me?"

"Hmm..." Marisa made a show of thinking about it. "Nope!"

"...huh?" Reimu looked puzzled.

"I said nope! You've got a few other fights to win first before I know you'll even have a chance against me!" Marisa smiled proudly.

"...then why _are_ you here?" Reimu asked bluntly.

Marisa's proud smile vanished and her face reddened. "Ah! Well! I, uh, wanted to, uh, make sure you knew about me! And, uh- WHOA!" she said, nearly tipping over on her broom. She clutched it tightly and went through a full barrel roll before returning right side up.

Reimu giggled. "You're funny, magician girl. Alright, I'll beat these others and then I'll take you down!"

"Heh heh, you better!" Marisa smirked. She turned around and blasted off into the woods.

"Um... Miss Reimu?" Genji asked after Marisa was out of earshot.

"Hm?" Reimu said. She had a surprisingly big smile on her face; possibly the biggest one she'd had since the day started.

Genji sighed. "...Night is approaching. We should continue our journey. There's likely to be more youkai in these woods, so keep your wits about you."

"Yeah, yeah..." Reimu grumbled.


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss Reimu, we've been flying in this direction for quite a bit. Are you sure we're going the right way?"

Shrine maiden and turtle floated along a forest path as the hours passed. Over the course of the day, clouds rolled in and the sun approached the horizon.

Reimu swallowed her bite of rice ball before answering. "As sure as I am of anything, Genji. Still, it is turning out to be a longer trip than I expected... I'm glad I brought snacks."

"Please do be careful as you eat, Miss Reimu. It takes quite the effort to get crumbs out of the grooves in my shell."

Reimu looked down at Genji with a smile. "Quite the effort for me, you mean. _You_ get to enjoy a nice bath the whole time."

Genji smiled back. "Yes, I suppose that's true."

The two settled into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, as the air grew heavier, foreshadowing the approaching rainstorm.

Suddenly, Reimu sat up straight. "Genji. Look there."

Genji looked forward to see a number of large purple birds perched in the trees. "Birds?" he asked.

"Those aren't regular birds. They're youkai. And I'm sure they're going to attack as soon as we get close enough."

Genji nodded. "So, we have returned to the battlefield, then."

"Yep. Get ready, Genji."

The birds swooped from the branches and began firing magic blasts at Reimu and Genji. The sounds of their clashes echoed through the evening as the first raindrops began to fall.

Further down the path, a samurai meditated. She kneeled on the ground, eyes closed, focusing her mind. Nothing but the sounds of nature reached her ears. The moment was peaceful.

"Yoooooooo!"

Peaceful. Nothing would disturb her.

"Yoooooooo, Meira!"

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

The samurai opened her eyes and turned to the source of the calling, seeing Marisa flying in. "Hello, Kirisame. Do you have business here?"

Marisa skidded to a stop in front of Meira, leaving marks on the ground where her boots slid in the dirt. "Just here to let ya know that Rika got her butt whooped and that Reimu's on her way," she said, grinning.

Meira nodded. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Rika's creations were impressive, but I felt she was not mentally prepared for an opponent of this caliber."

Marisa laughed. "Yeah, she could've used an attitude adjustment."

Meira raised an eyebrow. "Were you not to wait in Reimaden with your master, Kirisame?"

Marisa shrugged. "I wanted to see Reimu in action before I fought her so I'd know what I'm dealing with, so I've been watching her fight. You okay with that, or are you the kind of person to get performance anxiety."

Meira let out a low chuckle. "I do not mind if you watch, so long as you do not interfere."

Marisa gave a thumbs-up. "Wouldn't dream of it!"

"I must warn you, Kirisame, there is a good chance that you will not get the chance to face the Hakurei maiden. I plan to fight with all my strength."

Marisa grinned. "Well, that'd be worth watching too! Alright, I think she'll be here soon. Good luck, and see ya later!" With that, she darted into the nearby trees, and Meira returned to her meditation.

After a few more minutes and a few more raindrops, Meira opened her eyes. Someone was approaching. Someone powerful. She opened her eyes and rose to her feet, awaiting the way her formidable adversary would make her presence known.

"Gramps, something stinks."

"My lady, look!"

Reimu and Genji looked across the clearing to see Meira with a hand on her sword's handle.

"There is no doubt about it... You must be Hakurei." She looked into Reimu's eyes with a burning intensity. "I've come to take you out!"

Reimu sat in stunned silence for a moment. Then, her face turned red.  
"W-wow...! I... sorry, this is just so sudden..." she stammered. "I definitely don't mind, though!" she said, regaining some confidence.

"H-huh?" Meira's expression shifted a bit. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, if I win, the power of Hakurei shall be mine!"

Reimu tilted her head to the side. "Win?" She then noticed Meira's sword. "Oh, no, if all you want is me, then we don't need to fight, hee hee!" she said. Then she winked at her.

Meira's face turned pale. She took a step back.

"What's wrong?" Reimu asked.

"I-I... uh..." Meira stomped her foot in frustration. "It's not 'you' I want! It's your power! Your power!"

"My... power? I'm not sure I follow-" Reimu started, but Meira interrupted again.

"And furthermore! You know I'm a woman, right?"

Reimu looked confused. "Yes? What's that got to do with anything?"

Meira slapped her palm to her forehead. "When my master taught me not to make assumptions about my opponents, I hardly imagine this was what she had in mind..." she mumbled to herself.

Marisa watched from the bushes as the conversation continued to run in circles. However, something was wrong. In her mind, she knew that she should be laughing due to the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. But she felt no mirth whatsoever. Instead, all she felt was a knot in her stomach, an uncomfortable nausea that flared up every time Reimu said something flirty to Meira.

Marisa's mind raced as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her. "This is... Mima must've picked a bad mushroom yesterday, and I'm only feeling it now. Yeah, that's it." She was doing an extremely poor job of convincing herself, but it was occupying her thoughts better than watching Reimu and Meira at this point. She didn't even notice when the two started fighting, so wrapped up in her thoughts she was.

Marisa was eventually snapped back to reality by the sound of a magical blast and Meira letting out a loud groan. She peered over the bushes again to see Reimu looking over Meira, who was on the ground.

"Ooh, looks like I might've overdone it," Reimu said. "Oh well! Time to bury her!" she added.

"Stop yourself," Genji said bluntly.

"Ugh... enough already..." Meira grumbled. She got up and dashed into the woods.

"Oh no, she got away!" Reimu said. "I guess we should keep going, then."

Genji sighed. "Yes... yes we should. This path is nearing the World of Fantasies."

"Then that's where we'll find the mastermind. Let's go."

The two took off again, floating down the path between the trees.

"Hey, Meira!"

After escaping her embarrassment and subsequent defeat, Meira slowed to a walk. Marisa easily caught up to her on her broom.

"Ah, Kirisame. I suppose you saw that sorry display."

Marisa chuckled. "Heh... yeah..."

"Even ignoring that... strange conversation, the Hakurei maiden's power is much more intense than I ever expected. Konngara was right to call the Astral Knights back to their training. If humans have reached this level of strength, then we must do everything we can to keep up."

"She's that tough, huh?" Marisa scratched behind her head nervously. "So, uh... what are you gonna do now?"

"Return to my training, of course. It is my only option."

"Huh... that's..."

Meira looked at Marisa. "What?"

Marisa kicked some dirt on the ground. She looked down, avoiding eye contact."So you're not... you and Reimu aren't..." She trailed off.

Meira continued to look at Marisa before realization dawned and she laughed. "Oh, of course not! She misunderstood me from the first moment! I had never planned to date her. I thought that was obvious!"

Marisa laughed nervously. "Right! Obvious! Yeah! I was just, y'know, wondering if you planned on reporting to Mima first! That's it! That's all!"

Meira shook her head. "I do not believe I need to. I was defeated, and so my time in this plan is over."

Marisa took a breath. "Yeah... Yeah, that makes sense."

Meira's mouth formed a slight smile. "If nothing else, I should be glad my confrontation provided some useful information for you."

Marisa looked confused. "What information is that?"

Meira's smile widened. "That Hakurei is interested in women."

Marisa turned red as a beetroot. "Why would I care about that!!!" she yelled.

"I suppose you wouldn't." She began to walk again. "I must be taking my leave now, Kirisame. Good luck with Hakurei."

Marisa, still red, turned towards Meira. "W-with beating her, you mean!"

Meira chuckled. "Yes. With beating her."

The two went their separate ways, Meira disappearing into the woods, and Marisa flying towards the World of Fantasies.

Having left Gensokyo behind, Reimu and Genji floated through the abstract darkness, making progress towards Reimaden. When Marisa happened upon them, flying above and behind them so as to remain out of sight, they were in the middle of a conversation.

"So, you don't think Meira was asking me on a date?"

Genji sighed. "She most certainly was not. Please, pay some attention to the situation at hand, Miss Reimu."

"That's a shame. She was cute, and I don't really get asked out all that often. Probably because people act like I'm a bit weird."

"Miss Reimu..." Genji began, but Reimu ignored him, stretching her arms above her head.

"Speaking of cute girls, I wonder if we'll run into that magician again soon."

"If I had to hazard a guess, my lady, she is likely preparing to fight you in Reimaden, which is just beyond the World of Fantasies, where we are now."

Reimu and Genji continued their conversation, but Marisa had stopped listening. Instead, her mind was simply shouting one thing, over and over.

_She thinks I'm cute!!!_

As Marisa sped away from Reimu's current location and headed towards Reimaden, she began to think more clearly again. _Why do I even care what Reimu thinks of me? That's stupid! I'm just gonna kick her butt, and then Mima and I will take over the world!_ She continued to talk to herself, trying to think more reasonable thoughts, but they all clashed against the continued refrain.

_She! Thinks! I'm! Cute!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please be patient with Marisa. she is still trying to balance her life between "be gay" and "do crimes"


	4. Chapter 4

Marisa jetted over the World of Fantasies on her broom, thoughts still swirling in her head. As she passed over the five magic stones that acted as a defense system to Reimaden, she noticed Rika working on installing some extra weaponry. Marisa considered flying down to her and bothering her to take her mind off of things, but ultimately decided that the loud engineer would be more trouble than she was worth, and so she proceeded past the gate and entered Reimaden.

She soared over the deep blue ground, the path beneath her reflecting the dark star that somehow illuminated Reimaden while simultaneously bathing it in darkness. Eventually, the path ended in a sheer cliff, and she kept flying, ignoring the seemingly endless void below. She floated over the darkness until the small floating island where her home sat came into view.

Marisa landed, her boots tapping softly on the grass. Shortly afterwards, Mima appeared in front of her with a flash of light. Such a thing would startle some people, but Marisa knew it as Mima's usual greeting for her.

"Welcome back, Marisa," Mima said, calmly. "I'm glad you've returned; it is almost time to put our part of our plan into action."

"Yeah..." Marisa said, trailing off.

Mima looked curious for a moment, but then returned to her normal smile. "So, what do you think of the Hakurei girl?"

Marisa jumped. "Wh-wh-what I think of her? What are you talking about???" she said, suddenly nervous.

Mima tilted her head. "Did you not watch her fight? Do you feel you can face her?"

"Oh! Right! That's what you meant, yeah!" Marisa chuckled nervously, then took a breath. "She _is_ pretty good..."

"Oh?"

Marisa's face twisted into an evil smile. "...but I'm better."

Mima smiled back. "Excellent, excellent! Soon, all of Gensokyo will feel our power! Now, this is what we're going to do..." She put an arm around Marisa's shoulder as she explained how they would approach the upcoming battles.

"Keep your head about you, Gramps! They're not letting up now!"

"Stay safe, my lady!"

Having traversed the World of Fantasies and crushed the gate defenses without too much trouble, Reimu and Genji were cutting a swath through Reimaden. No longer did they have any downtime; the youkai attacked fast and furious, forcing the two to duck, dodge, swerve, shoot, and blast their way straight through a veritable army on their own. Reimu was up to the task, though. At this point her determination and intuition carried her forward on its own, and she was leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. All manner of foul creature succumbed to her power; if anyone were watching, they might wonder if she were even human.

Eventually, the enemies thinned out, as Reimu and Genji flew past a cliff, leaving them suspended above darkness.

"Phew... finally, a moment to relax. Are you alright, Miss Reimu?" Genji said.

Reimu shook her head. "It's not time to relax, Gramps. I feel something. Something big."

"Oh?"

Reimu looked forward, a serious expression on her face. "Something very, very powerful is approaching."

"What do you think it is, my lady?"

"It's... it's...!"

"What!?"

Suddenly, a massive flash of light illuminated the void. When the light faded, floating in front of Reimu and Genji was the powerful evil spirit that had been the cause of all their problems. Mima had finally arrived.

"Mima! I knew it was you!" Reimu yelled angrily.

"You did?" Genji asked.

Reimu looked at him and smiled. "Nope, I had no idea. I've just always wanted to say that." She turned back to Mima and her smile faded. "Anyway! You sent that annoying engineer to wreck my shrine! And so soon after the last attack, too! How dare you!"

Mima smiled. "Oh, such a run-down shrine hardly deserves such a reaction. Consider it a bit of cleanup, if anything. My goal is to take over Gensokyo, and perhaps the world beyond it as well, so such an ugly thing simply doesn't belong."

"Wow, you've got some big dreams, huh. Good for you, I guess," said Reimu. "But wrecking and insulting my shrine is something I won't let slide! I'm beating you down, I'm sealing you up, and by the time I'm done you won't see the human world again for a thousand years!"

Mima laughed. "Ah ha ha ha ha! Such an energetic challenge! I'm always impressed by that aspect of young humans." She moved into an exaggerated shrug. "Unfortunately, I simply don't have the time to fight you now. My full resurrection is very close, but I sadly must gather a bit more power first."

"You coward! You think I'm going to let you run away?" Reimu yelled.

"Oh, I hope you didn't believe that I wouldn't give you something to do in the mean time, Hakurei." Mima smiled. "Let's see... I think you can play with this one for a little while."

With a flash of light, Mima vanished, and in her place floated Marisa Kirisame.

"Crashing onto the scene like a shooting star, it's the Magician of Red Dreams, Marisa Kirisame!" Marisa declared, holding a wand with a star on the end straight upwards above her head.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up!" Reimu said with a grimace. "If you're in league with that awful ghost, then I'll show you no mercy! This is your only warning: get out of my way!"

"Kyahahahahaha!" Marisa laughed. "You know, I gotta say, I thought you were pretty impressive earlier. You might actually give me a fun fight!"

"I guess I've got no choice, then!" Reimu's face twisted into a grin. "You know, ever since I ran into you earlier, I've been looking forward to seeing you again!"

Marisa's cheeks flushed slightly. "W-well, I've been looking forward to running into you ever since I first saw you!"

"Good!" Reimu gripped her gohei tighter. "Then I'm sure you're ready for me to not hold anything back!"

"Same here, Reimu! Bring it on!"

Marisa made the first move. "Magic Orbs!" she yelled, waving her wand. Just like she practiced, four magic orbs in different colors surrounded her. "Fire!" she continued, and the orbs began blasting at Reimu. She smiled. "If you can't bust through something like this, then you don't have a chance!"

"You kidding me? That's nothing!" shouted Reimu. With a quick hand movement, she chucked a spread of ofuda. With pinpoint accuracy, they landed on the orbs, sticking to them. Despite this, the spheres continued to spin around Marisa and fire at Reimu, forcing Reimu to dodge.

"Hahaha! Izzat all?" Marisa grinned.

Reimu grinned back. "Not on your life, Marisa!" she said. She snapped her fingers. With that, the ofuda exploded at the same time, in a burst of white flame. Immediately, the orbs began to violently, and after a few seconds they shattered like glass.

Marisa clapped her hands. "Pretty good, pretty good! Glad you're on the level of at least a basic magician. Now let's see how you handle my real specialty! Stardust Rain!" She waved her wand, and a sea of lights appeared in the darkness above her. She pointed her wand forward, and the stars rained down in a dense, terrifying volley.

"Miss Reimu, this attack looks positively overwhelming!" Genji yelled in a panicked voice.

"Follow my lead, Gramps! We can take her!" Reimu tossed her Yin-Yang Orb in front of her. It floated in place for a second, then suddenly split into four copies of itself, which took position to the left and right of Reimu and Genji. "I've got the firepower and the skill to handle this sort of thing!"

The Yin-Yang orbs began to fire out a series of blasts, shooting Marisa's stars out of the sky. Bursts of light illuminated the shadows of Reimaden, as their fight intensified, neither willing to give up. Eventually, the light from the explosions made it nearly impossible to see.

"Hahahaha! You're pretty strong, Reimu! But I'm the greatest magician Gensokyo will ever know! An attack like that will never shoot all my stars out of the sky!" Marisa crossed her arms and laughed more, when suddenly...

"I don't need to."

"Huh!?"

Marisa realized too late that Reimu's response came from behind her. Before she could fully register the change in position, she was rocked by a massive blast of Reimu's spiritual power from point-blank range.

Immediately, Marisa's stars dissipated, and she was spent spiraling through the air, barely managing to clutch both her broom and her hat. "H-h-how did you do that???" she yelled, shocked. "Nobody could dodge like that! It's impossible."

Reimu smiled smugly. "I've been practically untouchable ever since I was little. Call it a gift. Anyway, it looks to me like you're out of tricks. I'm giving you one last chance to get out of my way."

Marisa growled. "Grr... no! No, no, no! I'm the coolest, cutest, toughest, strongest magician around! And I'll make you see that if it's the last thing I do!" At that, she reached into her robe and pulled out her tiny magic furnace. "With this Mini-Hakkero, my power is enhanced by a power of a zillion!" She let out a twisted laugh before continuing. "You've fought well, Reimu Hakurei, but even you'll be left dazzled by my most powerful magic!" Her furnace began to heat up and glow with energy as she pointed it at Reimu. _This has to work!_ she thought. "MAGIC..."

"Miss Reimu, look out!"

"SPAAAAAAAAARK!"

A massive rumbling noise accompanied a humongous, rainbow-colored beam of pure magic that erupted from the furnace. The sheer energy was so strong that Marisa struggled to stay on her broom as she was pushed backwards from the recoil. The light streamed across the black sky for multiple seconds, and any lingering youkai would tell the story of the first rainbow to ever appear in Reimaden's sky.

After a few endless seconds, the beam fizzled and vanished. All that remained was darkness, silence, and one awestruck witch.

"I did it..." Marisa said, breathlessly. "I did it! My most powerful spell! I finally made it happen! I'm the coolest!"

"You know what, that was pretty cool," a voice said from beside her.

"HUHWHA-" Marisa sputtered, as she turned to see Reimu floating on Genji right next to her. Reimu was smiling, but Marisa's eyes quickly went from Reimu's face to the giant Yin-Yang Orb hovering above her head. Before Marisa could form a more coherent response, Reimu snapped her fingers, and the orb slammed into Marisa, sending her spiraling down into the darkness below.

"I'm sorry, Mimaaaaaaa..." was the last thing that could be heard before Marisa's voice vanished along with her.

Marisa fell slowly, her flight magic keeping her safe from impact against the ground far below. Eventually, she landed softly on some dirt.

She laid there for a good while, still feeling dazed from the battle. She even drifted off to sleep for a little bit. Afterwards, here eyes popped open, and she climbed to her feet. She dusted off her robes, and then performed a quick check of her possessions.

"Alright, I still have my hat, and my broom, and..." She dug into her pocket and pulled out her magic furnace. "Oh thank goodness. Kourin would probably never talk to me again if I lost that." She patted her robes again and looked around. "I'm missing that wand, but eh. I only used that because I liked how it looked. It didn't actually do anything."

Marisa took a few deep breaths, thoughts once again assaulting her mind. Eventually, she settled on one thing to figure out. "Can I really do that Magic Spark again?"

Her little nap had recharged her, so she made her decision. "Let's give it a try."

She held the furnace forward and focused. It began to glow... and then sputtered, and with a crack, the familiar sound of failure graced her ears.

"Agh, really? Was it just a fluke?" She thought a moment. "No... it must be something else. Mima always told me that magic is as much about will as it is technique. What's in my mind, what's in my heart... that's what matters. So..." She snapped her fingers. "So whatever I was thinking about during that fight must be the key!" She thought a bit more, when suddenly, a thought that she had been trying to avoid entered her mind.

Silently, Marisa held her furnace forward one more time. She closed her eyes, and filled her mind with a new series of thoughts.

Rather than her previous motivations, which included dreams of power, a need to impress Mima, and more, she focused on one thing and one thing only.

She thought of the person that had occupied her thoughts ever since she met her, the person that made her stomach turn and her chest feel warm. The person that, even though she had only met her recently, she could probably never forget.

Marisa thought of Reimu.

As she did this, the furnace began to glow once again, and then after a few seconds, it fired out another rainbow-colored laser. This one wasn't nearly as large as the previous one, due to Marisa's lingering fatigue, but it was undoubtedly the same spell.

The beam fizzled once again. Everything was silent, until Marisa started quietly laughing.

As her laughter raised in intensity and volume, she put down her broom, sat down to the ground, and eventually laid backwards, spreading her arms to her side.

She laughed and laughed, loudly, her voice echoing across the dark, flat land. Eventually, in between her peals of laughter, she shouted out the words that she had been holding back for what felt like forever.

"I'm in love with Reimu Hakurei!"


	5. Chapter 5

Once Marisa's emotions subsided, she decided to return home. Upon landing in front of the door, though, she noticed something was off. Mima's magical presence was still certainly there, but it seemed subdued.

Marisa pushed open the door and walked inside. "Mima?" she called out tentatively.

"I'm in the study," came the reply.

Marisa crossed the house to find Mima sitting in a large chair, reading a book. "Welcome back, Marisa," she said, looking up.

"Mima..." Marisa began, taking off her hat and holding it. "I'm... sorry for losing to Reimu," she said, avoiding eye contact. Marisa was surprised, then, when Mima started laughing gently.

"Oh, my dear Marisa," Mima said as her laughter subsided. "How could I possibly scold you for being defeated by someone I was unable to defeat myself?"

Marisa looked up, wide-eyed. "Wait... you lost too!?"

"Indeed," Mima said, "and I have the scars to prove it," she said, gesturing to her ghostly body. It was at that point that Marisa noticed that Mima was covered in paper seals. "My power is greatly limited as of now, sealed by that shrine maiden."

Marisa shuffled her feet. "I still wish I could've helped more."

"Do not worry about it, Marisa. To tell you the truth, even with the extra knowledge I gained, I still did not fully expect to defeat the Hakurei girl. In fact, I had a feeling that she was simply too powerful for us."

Marisa was shocked. "Wait, really? Then why did we even bother!?"

Mima threw her arms out in a wide, grand gesture. "Because it was just oh so much fun! Wouldn't you agree, Marisa?"

Marisa thought about the events of the previous day. She thought about the fights she watched, and the fight she participated in. She thought about how happy she was to finally join Mima in one of her plans. And, of course, she thought about Reimu, the girl she just couldn't get out of her mind. "Yeah. It was fun," Marisa finally concluded.

"Splendid, splendid! Come here, my favorite little troublemaker!" Mima said, holding her arms up. Marisa obliged, embracing Mima in a hug.

After a few seconds, Marisa stepped back. "Um..." she started, looking away again.

"What is it, Marisa?"

"I was gonna go get some sleep, and then in the morning..." Marisa swallowed nervously. "I want to see Reimu again."

Mima's lips curled into a sly smile. "I see nothing wrong with that. I must warn you that I most likely won't be able to join you; these seals are simply too much of a pain for me to leave Reimaden."

"That's okay, Mima. I... I want to go alone."

"I had a feeling you did. Now, get some rest, Marisa."

Marisa nodded, walking off to her room. She climbed into bed, and thanks to the previous day's excitement, she fell asleep quickly and deeply.

It was a bright, sunny morning at the Hakurei Shrine. The previous night's storm had passed, leaving a clear blue sky.

Having gotten up early to clean up the extra mess left from the fights, Reimu sat on the front step of the main building. She let out a breath and leaned back. The only sounds around her came from the ambiance of nature: a light breeze through the trees, a few birds singing in the distance, a loud girl yelling for Reimu from the sky...

Wait a second.

"Reimu! Yo, Reimu!"

Reimu sat up straight as the purple-clad witch from the previous day touched down, skidding to a stop and stumbling a bit.

Marisa straightened her hat and gave a sheepish grin. "Um... hi?"

Reimu raised an eyebrow. "You here for a rematch?"

"Huh- no! Definitely not, ahahaha!" Marisa laughed nervously.

Reimu looked at her for a second, then leaned back again. "That's good, then. Do you need something?"

"Well, I..." Marisa trailed off, causing Reimu to look at her again as Marisa continued. "I just, y'know, well, after yesterday, I-I, um, I was... I was th-thinking... about... about you... and..." Marisa's face turned red and she started pulling her hat down over her eyes as she continued to stumble over her words. "I just- I wanted to- WHAT'S SO FUNNY!" she yelled, stomping her foot as she noticed Reimu giggling.

"Oh, nothing. You're cute, Marisa." Reimu said, smiling.

"Wh- HOW CAN YOU JUST SAY THAT LIKE THAT IT'S NOT FAIR!" Marisa said, reddening and pulling her hat down even further.

Reimu stood up. "I figure things are easier when people are just straightforward about things. Now why don't you come inside? I'll make us some tea."

"...and so that's why my hair's red right now. Usually it's blonde."

"Okay, but I have a very important question."

"What's that?"

"Did the pie at least taste good?"

The two had been talking for at least an hour after they started drinking their tea. Marisa's nerves had fallen away almost immediately as she realized that, miraculously, Reimu seemed just as interested in Marisa as Marisa was in Reimu. They fell into a comfortable rapport and shared all sorts of things about themselves and their lives. They laughed and joked like they'd known each other for a lifetime, rather than a day.

Unfortunately for them, their lovely date was soon to be abruptly interrupted...

"Quiet a sec, Marisa." Reimu held up a hand. "Do you feel that?"

"Huh? I don't..." Marisa trailed off. "Wait... Something big's coming. Doesn't feel like Mima, though..."

"I can't even get one day, huh..." Reimu got up. "Well, let's see what the problem is."

Reimu stepped out her front door, with Marisa following a few feet behind. She was greeted by the sight of a huge monster: a single gigantic, bloodshot eyeball, with black lids, purple bat wings, large tentacles, a halo, and a red emblem of the Greek letter Sigma on the bottom.

"Jeez, what the hell is that thing?" Marisa yelled.

"I don't know, but I don't expect it to be friendly," Reimu responded, rolling her eyes.

"YOU BET YOUR STUPID BUTT IT AIN'T FRIENDLY!"

Reimu and Marisa were taken aback by the voice seemingly coming from the creature. Their confusion subsided, however, when a hatch on top opened up to reveal Rika, clad in a purple and red version of her outfit with a big red hat with white horns attached.

"You thought you were finished with me, didn't you, Hakurei doofus? That's just another stupid thought in your stupid head! Unfortunately for you, my ultimate creation, my flying tank, the Evil Eye Sigma, is here to end you decisively! Kya ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaa!"

Marisa cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, I think you need to get your eyes checked. How can you call that mess a tank? And more importantly, I think you missed the news: Mima got beat. The plan's over. Go home."

Rika looked down. "Oh! The stupid witch! Didn't expect to see you here. Anyway!" Rika jabbed a thumb at her chest. "I'm a tank engineer, so if I say something's a tank, it's a freakin' tank! No way YOU'D get that, of course." She smirked. "And do you really think I give two goops about your stupid ghost mom or her stupid plan? I'm here to wreck Reimu just because I want to! So stay out of the way!"

Reimu turned to Marisa. "Wow, this girl's annoying."

"Tell me about it," Marisa replied, rolling her eyes. "At least you didn't have to work with her."

"HEY! Are you morons listening to me? You're about to meet your doom here, ya know!" Rika yelled indignantly.

Marisa turned towards Rika. "You know, I started getting sick of you from the moment I met you. I bet I'd feel way better if Reimu and I kicked your butt for ruining our nice morning!"

"Two idiots instead of one? Well, two times zero is still zero! I'll run you both into the ground, absolutely free of charge! Kya ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaa!" With that, Rika's hatch shut, and the Evil Eye Sigma rose into the air.

Marisa turned to Reimu. "Don't you need that turtle to fly?"

"Eh, Genji's napping. I can fly long enough myself for one fight anyway." With that, Reimu leaped into the air, summoning up her Yin-Yang Orbs.

"Hey, wait for me!" Marisa mounted her broom and blasted off after Reimu, ready to give Rika the business one last time.

"I WILL have my revenge! I will, I will, I will!" Rika yelled, equipped with a jet pack and flying away from the wreckage of her mechanical monstrosity.

"Take your time," Reimu yelled back from the ground, not looking at her. She surveyed the mass of strange parts left all over her shrine's ground. "Ugh, and I just managed to clean up yesterday's mess. What a pain."

Marisa landed next to her. "Want some help?"

"Eh, maybe later. After that fight, I think I need a break. You're really cool in a fight, by the way."

Marisa blushed slightly. "Oh, um, thanks!"

"Yes, yes, my dear, you did an absolutely wonderful job."

Reimu and Marisa turned to the source of the new voice to see Mima floating above them with a slight smile.

"Mima! What are you doing here?" Reimu shouted.

"Certainly not coming to fight you. I'd be a fool to face someone who defeated me so soundly twice now."

Reimu stomped her feet. "That's not what I meant! How'd you break those seals? You should've been trapped down there for many times longer than I've been alive!"

"It seems you underestimated my power, dear Hakurei," Mima said with a chuckle.

"No, really. What happened?" Reimu deadpanned.

Mima shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure myself. Those seals were entirely unbreakable. I was all but resigned to my fate when they simply vanished in a puff of smoke."

Reimu looked shocked. "What? But those were my special Seals of Twelve Millennia! There shouldn't be a human alive who'd see you again!" She dug into her robe and pulled out her ofuda. "See? These should..." She suddenly looked at them again. "Oh no. Oh no! Oh no no no no no..."

Marisa peered over at Reimu. "What's wrong?"

"These are my 'Seals of Twelve _Hours_ '..." Reimu shoved them back into her robe.

"Ah, the best-laid plans of mice and maidens..." Mima chuckled.

"Shut up," Reimu grumbled. "Seriously, why are you here?"

"Well, I was looking for this one." She turned towards Marisa. "Are you satisfied with your visit?"

Marisa blushed. "I-um... yeah..."

"Excellent. You see, Marisa, I'd been hoping to ask you... How would you like to move back to Gensokyo?"

Marisa looked down. "I don't know... you know how my parents feel about magic, and you, and..."

"Oh, I certainly wouldn't ask you to live with them anymore. But with my power, I could move the house into the Forest of Magic."

Marisa's eyes lit up. "The Forest of Magic? I always loved visiting there, and you're saying I can live there!?"

"Reimaden is such a dreary place, when you get right down to it. Perfect for an old spirit like me, but a burgeoning young magician like yourself needs some place that fits you better, and I think that would be it. Plus, it wouldn't be too far from the shrine, so you could visit any time you wanted."

Marisa was practically jumping for joy. "Yes, yes! I'd love that!"

"I should hope so; I've already moved the house," Mima chuckled.

"UGH," Reimu loudly interrupted.

"What's wrong, little Hakurei?" Mima said, feigning innocence.

"You know exactly what's wrong! You, living in Gensokyo? There's no way that leads to anything but problems!"

"Oh, I'd only haunt your shrine a little bit. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem at all," Mima said, trying to hold back a laugh. She was enjoying this way too much.

"Like HELL it wouldn't!" Reimu stomped her feet.

"Reimu..." Marisa said softly.

"What?" Reimu snapped.

"Ah... I'm... really looking forward to being able to visit you a lot..." Marisa said, turning red again.

"Nnh..." Reimu turned a little red too. "W-well, alright. I'll let it slide. But I'm doing this for Marisa. You better stay out of trouble, Mima!"

"Me? Trouble? You know I'd never dream of such a thing, dear Hakurei," Mima said, vanishing in a puff of green smoke before Reimu could object.

"Hoo-RAY!" Marisa yelled, jumping into the air. "I'm so excited! This is gonna be so much fun! I'm so happy I... I..." Suddenly, she turned towards Reimu and wrapped her in a big hug.

Reimu felt her face turn red and she froze up.

After a few seconds, Marisa realized Reimu wasn't hugging back and let go. "I'm sorry! I-I just got so excited, a-and I-" Marisa stammered.

Suddenly, Reimu found herself able to respond. "Ah! No! I'm sorry! I just was... surprised... and I..." She swallowed. "I think you should do it again."

Marisa suddenly turned even redder. "O-okay..." She tentatively wrapped her arms around Reimu again. This time, Reimu hugged her back, and they held each other closely for what felt like ages.

"Make sure you visit a lot, Marisa..." Reimu murmured.

"I will, Reimu," Marisa mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still Valentine's Day in my time zone, so it's the perfect day to finish this off.  
> Thank you all for reading!


End file.
